By By William E. Todd
The newspaper tells me that readership of my column
continues to grow thanks to the interesting – and often challenging –
questions that you are submitting. Please continue to send me your
questions at AskAMBToddPP@state.gov.
One reader recently asked,
“What are the roles and duties of the U.S. Congress?” This is a very
timely question given the upcoming elections in the United States in
November 2012 and Cambodia in July 2013, which are crucial opportunities
for the citizens of each nation to have a direct voice in how they are
governed. The collective choices that voters make truly matter and have
significant impacts that can be felt nationally and internationally.
The
roles and duties of the U.S. Congress come from the consent of the
American people and are based on the rule of law, as spelled out in the
United States Constitution. Approved, or “ratified,” by the 13 original
states in 1789, the Constitution established the Congress as the
legislative branch of the U.S. federal government, and its powers are
specified in the first Article of the Constitution. Among these powers
include the power to make laws, impose taxes, confirm presidential
appointments, declare war, and ratify treaties. Our founders understood
the importance of giving Congress certain authorities as part of a
system of “checks and balances” on the power of the executive and
judicial branches. The challenge with creating a government, wrote
James Madison, who later became our fourth President, was to “first
enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place
oblige it to control itself.” The United States Congress also is the
people’s most direct voice within the national governing process. Each
U.S. Representative stands for election every two years, while Senators
are elected for six-year terms.
How does this relate to Cambodia,
where voters will go to the polls next year to choose their
representatives for the next five years? Like the U.S. Congress, the
Cambodian National Assembly also derives its authority and power from
the citizens. This principle is at the forefront of the Cambodian
Constitution, which created the foundation for a renewed Cambodia after
the dark years of the Khmer Rouge regime by placing limits on the power
of those in government, protecting individual rights, and promoting
respect for Cambodia’s natural environment. In the 2013 elections,
Cambodians will have an important opportunity to advance the values in
the Cambodian Constitution by selecting representatives who will work to
uphold these lofty goals.
The second question I would like to
address is, “What makes the academic environment in the United States so
special?” Americans greatly value the power of education to transform
both the lives of individuals as well as an entire society. American
universities are among the best in the world. An emphasis on
critical-thinking skills and research into cutting-edge technologies has
lead to countless innovations in all aspects of American society and
attracted some of the brightest minds from around the world to study in
the United States.
A key component to the success of U.S.
universities is “academic freedom,” giving students and professors the
autonomy to question accepted wisdom and conduct research in any field.
Of course, universities have academic standards to ensure that research
is ethical, credible, verifiable, and analytical, but academic freedom
is key to developing new ways of thinking and finding new discoveries
that benefit all of society. The technological revolution in the United
States was a concrete result of this philosophy. U.S. businesses like
Google, Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft would not exist
without the foundation provided by the American university system. As
more and more Cambodian teachers and students adopt a similar outlook,
Cambodia’s universities will play an increasingly important role in
helping develop solutions to the challenges facing the country by
tapping into the greatest Cambodian resource, the people of Cambodia
themselves.
Once again, thank you all for reading my column. I
look forward to receiving more questions – in Khmer or in English – at
AskAMBToddPP@state.gov. And don’t forget to follow my blog at
http://blogs.usembassy.gov/todd.
William E. Todd is U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia
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